Toronto 
A dark field, strange lights, unexplained crop patterns and a secret government program investigating extraterrestrial activity set the scene for this year’s Stalking Dead Halloween experience near Peterborough.
Escape Maze is bringing back its outdoor haunted escape game for October 2026, but with a completely new storyline. This year’s edition, Project SkyHarvest, moves away from the historical horror of 2025’s Black Donnellys-inspired Midnight Riders and into science fiction, government secrecy and alien encounters.
This year’s edition, Project SkyHarvest, runs on select nights from October 2 to 31 at Escape Maze. The attraction combines an outdoor escape game with a haunted experience, sending groups through fields and dirt paths after dark while they follow a story, solve puzzles and encounter live scare elements.
What to Expect at Project SkyHarvest
Stalking Dead is not a traditional haunted house.
It combines elements of an escape game and a haunted outdoor attraction, with groups moving through fields and dirt paths while following a story, solving puzzles and encountering live scare elements.
For 2026, players enter the fictional remains of Project SkyHarvest, a secret government operation established in 1967 to investigate alleged extraterrestrial activity in rural Ontario.
Decades after the files were supposedly closed, strange activity begins again, drawing players into the remains of the operation.
The mission sends participants into the abandoned site as strange activity begins again.
That change gives returning visitors a substantially different experience from the 2025 edition, which centred on the Black Donnellys and supernatural riders.
How the Experience Works
Stalking Dead differs from a conventional haunted house because visitors are participants rather than just spectators.
Groups move through the outdoor course while solving puzzles and following the Project SkyHarvest storyline. The combination of clues, teamwork and scare elements puts it somewhere between an escape room and a haunted trail.
Groups can include up to 10 people, with at least four players recommended. That makes it better suited to a planned group outing than a spontaneous stop for one or two people.
Who Is It For?
Project SkyHarvest is best suited to older teens and adults who enjoy escape rooms, Halloween attractions and interactive experiences.
The organizer does not recommend the experience for children 13 and younger, and participants younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Dress for an October Night
Because the game takes place outdoors after dark, visitors should also be prepared for uneven terrain, cool October temperatures and potentially wet conditions.
The attraction operates rain or shine, and Escape Maze recommends weather-appropriate clothing and footwear suitable for dirt paths and fields.
Is It Worth the Drive?
What distinguishes Stalking Dead from many Halloween attractions is that visitors have something to do beyond simply walking through a haunted trail.
The puzzles, group mission and changing annual storyline make it more interactive than a conventional haunt.
For visitors travelling from the GTA, it could work well as part of an evening or day trip to the Peterborough area fall colour trip rather than as a standalone drive.
What You Need to Know – The Stalking Dead presents Project SkyHarvest
When: Select dates, October 2 to 31, 2026
Times: Generally between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.; times vary by date
Where: Escape Maze, 156 Cedar Bank Road, Peterborough
Admission: $40 plus HST per person, Advance booking is available through Escape Maze
Group size: Minimum of four recommended; maximum of 10
Age: Not recommended for ages 13 and younger; visitors younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult
Weather: Runs rain or shine
Terrain: Outdoor dirt paths through fields; weather-appropriate clothing and footwear recommended
Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible
Parking: Free
Transit: The venue is not accessible by public transportation
